Schleswig-Holstein

The research and innovation policy of the government of Schleswig-Holstein follows from the understanding that the outstanding achievements of its scientific institutes are based on a stable research spectrum on a broad scale. This is complemented by targeted measures that focus on areas of high potential and open up sustainable courses of action for industry and society.

Schleswig-Holstein‘s universities and non-university research facilities are not just part of an excellent network within the Land, but also have close links with numerous national and international partners, for example, in the clusters of excellence for medicine and marine research.

Schleswig-Holstein accounts for a considerable share of Germany’s scientific cooperation with the Scandinavian countries, particularly with the neighbouring country, Denmark.

The government’s technology and innovation policy serves to improve its capacity for innovation as well as the technological infrastructure and technology transfer – particularly with regard to technology-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises.

The government primarily fosters new impulses in its own business programme, Landesprogramm Wirtschaft. Clear emphasis is placed on extending the infrastructure for research and innovation to include future growth areas and on facilitating the transfer of scientific knowledge into commercial applications.

The cluster policy is based on the Regional Innovation Strategy Schleswig-Holstein. Five priority areas have been identified, which are regarded as particularly innovative growth engines for the Land. These are maritime industry, life sciences, renewable energy, the food industry and information technologies, telecommunications and media.

Financed with funds provided by the Land and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the programme is a superordinate funding instrument and thus plays a key role in implementing the Land’s Innovation Strategy (as an element of priority axis 1 ‘Strengthening regional innovation potential’).